


before the storm breaks

by wendigone



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Other, also some canon character redesigns, and i'm returning to the fandom after like 3 years, high amount of ocs, my canon writing goes more in depth than what y'all would expect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:05:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9527063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wendigone/pseuds/wendigone
Summary: immortality comes at a cost for the nation representatives. they must live one percent of their time as a human, reprieved of their responsibilities for a mere moment in the grand scheme of life.the year is 2011, the nations underwent a transformation stripping them of their endless life, gaining amnesia in the process. agents, normal humans dedicated to protecting them through the year, vow to keep the nations' real selves under lock and key. if they don't-- the nation never reverts to their original self. cultures would fall.and-- there's some people out there who want the world to fall to their knees.





	1. prologue

People always say it's darkest before the sun rises.  


The light rests beyond the horizon, beneath one's line of sight, out of one's reach. Lying in wait. Praying for change. Broken when it doesn't.  


As long as the nations of the world live, they are not to die. A law written by the stars and upheld by the very representations walking among their people, blending into the crowds with a different face to all that see them. To some civilians, they're no more than ghosts, since they can't locate them once they're gone. To the public, they don't exist. They've never existed.  


Therefore, it means very little to the public if they do not notice their nation representatives disappear for a while.  
  
Some might call it a curse, a plague born from the fabric of time and space, for nations to exist as a mere person. Immortal from any illness, heal from any bullet wound, limbs regrown from amputation- you name it. Some call it a blessing (as who wouldn't love being immortal?), though the law of nature balances everything ever so carefully.  
  
Not many know of the restriction on their immortality, for every ninety-nine years they live as a higher being, there's one year to strip their status away from them, wipe the memory of their life (save for the briefest of memories, pieces earned over the year), and force them to live the way their people do.  
  
Each nation falls under the spell for the same year, and this time around, 2011 would be it.  
  
Places to gather for the year sprung around in the years preceding the inevitable transformation, and ultimately, New York City proved to be the best. Without a doubt, every nation would be able to blend in safely. Not to mention, the reinforcements to make certain nothing goes wrong would live and keep a close eye on them- the agents assigned to the nations were there for a reason.

Nothing would go wrong. Nothing  _ will _ go wrong.  


At least- that's what they all believed.

Sometimes, you can't trust others. Sometimes, secrets spew from an unsuspected source.

And, sometimes, you get some assassins on your tail, waiting for the opportunity of taking down the nations and causing the world to dissolve and pull apart. Sometimes, you get a cluster of them, ready to take down their targets for the earnings. 

Once you're human, you don't have a chance to reform. You don't return to the living. You don't get back up like nothing happened, and everyone's happy, and there's a big happily ever after.

You lose the right to be immortal.

And that's why this year is no longer a moment's reprieve from the world.


	2. 11:25PM, 12/31/10 | the world begins anew

Nivi Suersaq | Representative of Greenland

 

_ Thirty-five minutes. _

Could this clock run any slower?

Of course, so many people were on edge. Why wouldn't they? Every single one of them were about to lose their memories, their sense of self, for a year. A sigh.  _ Including _ her.

Watching the wall clock for the past ten minutes, or maybe longer, the woman rarely looked around for a sign of a familiar face in a sea of hundreds. Last time this happened, none of them happened to be in the same place, given the current technology wasn't in place a hundred years ago. Instead, she was stuck with a person she didn't care to meet again, something she clearly rejected for this time around.

Speaking of which--

"Oi, Nivs!"

There. That's the one. In all of his pointy haired glory, already on the verge of downing a sixth shot. Why wouldn't he? Why wasn't  _ she _ doing that? It'd prove a more convincing story of amnesia than what they all agreed on the last summit meeting. Some group prescription drug for, what was it, sleep apnea? She couldn't remember. Well, whatever.

Point is, the rather obnoxious nation (  _ Denmark, _ of course,  _ it had to be Denmark _ ) stumbled in her direction, and in order to avoid getting trampled, abandoning the chair she claimed was the only solution. After she got to her feet, the chair was shoved in front of her, acting as a barrier, until the Dane stopped, a pout turned frown as she met his eyes. "What do ya want? I thought I told ya not to be within sixty feet o' me."

( _ she had to avoid him trying to take her under his sights again _ . )

"Sheesh, moody as always!" Running a hand through his hair, he turned on his heel, pointedly looking away, a hurt expression on his face (  _ a lie, a lie, all of it _ ). "Ya looked so lonely, like ya didn't  _ want _ to be here or anythin'." Plus, there was the notion of  _ hey, we can grab a drink before it all goes to hell _ behind those words. Still- wariness tugged at her throat. She couldn't trust him, couldn't listen, couldn't--

"Yer right, I don't want to be here." Glance at the clock. 11:40 PM. Had they really argued for five minutes? No, that wasn't right. Then again, time always seemed to be skewed once you're staring at the clock for so long. "But, y'know, I really shouldn't turn down free alcohol." Especially since she wouldn't be having it for a few days. Darned agent. Akitsi told her something about another order having to take precedence- for a fake identification card. Who else would've gotten to her before she did? It didn't seem right.

Whatever. Twenty minutes until showtime.

"Okay, I'll bite, Mathias." A sigh, she began walking away before the sudden realization sent her packing back to the table. The envelope of a "patient" in the test, the contents of which held the strings of how her emotions would play out. A name, age, nationality, where they lived, and who to contact. Everything she needed would be in this. Everything  _ Nivi Suersaq _ would need to survive the year.

By the time she glanced to the position Mathias was when she moved the first time, he vanished. The only trace remained in the form of a chair a few feet from the table.  _ Drat _ . At least he didn't pester her further, especially on the living arrangements tab.

Of course, living in a flat with him was out of the question, even if he  _ did _ consider her a younger sister. She looked the part of a convincing adult, and there was an apartment under her name (which Akitsi promised to keep under watch for anything suspicious) she could access in about a week. Needed the ID, obviously. For the time being, Matthew offered the couch in his apartment. Anything for a friend, he'd say. 

Anything, as long she didn't argue with Alfred.

The two dated often enough before the end of the year, and they'd continue doing so. It wasn't any place where an opinion was necessary on her side. Besides- the Nordic relations were about twice as complicated than she'd want to discuss. Speaking of-

In the deep recesses of her jacket, the phone began buzzing, and without glancing at the number (  _ really, was there anyone else that'd call her now? _ ), she answered with a hint of a smirk. "About time! I almost had to deal with  _ Mathias _ for another fifteen minutes. What took ya?" 

What took place was more of a walk-and-talk-and-drink scenario, getting an order of scotch (  _ always did go heavy on the first round _ ) and making her way back toward the ballroom entrance, a far more pleasant outlook than what happened mere moments ago. Every so often, she'd take a drink, a hiss from the sting against her throat, though she seemed to listen enough. Her side of the conversation was less wordy, though after a few seconds, her eyebrows furrowed in what seemed to be agitation. "You did  _ what. _ What the  _ fuck _ . Get your ass inside,  _ now _ ."  _ Click. _

(  _ that boy was in serious trouble-- _ )

Without a doubt, there were a few things the person on the other line said, though the last part.. didn't bode well.

Quickly after shoving her phone back in a pocket, Nivi's focus rested on the front of the ballroom, glass in one hand, the other on a table to support her. Eventually ( _ five minutes left, better hurry _ ), the long-awaited Nordic kid arrived, appearing almost  _ scared _ of what would come next. Not of the memory wipe, but of something probably worse. Clutching the hood of his jacket, covering most of his head, he shuffled over to where she waited, not very willing to make eye contact at this time.

"You seriously asked my agent to get you a fake id. _ Are you an idiot? _ You can't pull of twenty, let alone twenty-two. And-" she broke off, eyes narrowed as she had to look up  _ far _ more than usual. "Emil. Look at me. When I'm talking to you."

"Would prefer not to." the boy grumbled, but the smallest glance down was obviously caught. He tugged at the hood. "Nivi, come  _ on _ . Are you really that annoyed? Don't sound like Lukas,  _ especially _   'cause I have to live with him." 

"You know I'm nothing like him, how dare you." Rather than an irate voice, it softened to a point where sarcasm could be noticed. "I'm not that angry, considering Johann will be even worse. You realize you made it so he couldn't watch you, make sure you don't get killed." He flinched, and she took the opportunity to punch him in the arm, rather harshly. "Now, before we forget this disagreement ever happened, what the fuck did you do to your hair?"

"Nothing-" Another punch, a bit softer, but in the same place as the first one. "Ouch.  _ Fine _ ."

( _ sometimes, he was such a kid. no way could he pull it off as a legal adult. _ )

He took the hood off, and for a few seconds, they stared in silence. Processing the situation. Figuring out what to say. Then, it happened.

"Oh my  _ god _ . What. You died the roots black." There was nothing to hold her back from laughing. "So that's the surprise. You look like a  _ geek _ ."

"I am not a geek!" His reaction. _ Priceless. _

"Oh, right. You're not." Now placing a hand on her hip, she stuck her tongue out at him. "You're a nerd. But- I guess you're my nerd." Though, at the phone in her pocket buzzing (  _ set an alarm for 11:59 so you don't collapse and break your skull on the porcelain floors _ ), she paid attention to that more than anything else. The jump at the vibration did catch Emil's attention as well, glancing at the clock with teeth gritted. Not much time. Never enough time. Even with all of the time in the world.

(  _ not that they'd remember this anyway. _ )

They didn't say another word, though she did tug on his arm, the one she punched a couple times (he'd feel that later, for sure), making a swift return to the table she claimed originally. The chair's strange location was a dead giveaway, and when they finally settled down, the chimes began.

(  _ one, two, three _ . )

"You have your profile?" he asked, already starting to look paler than usual.

"Of course." She wasn't holding up well, either.

(  _ four, five, six. dizziness sets in.  _ )

"You think it'll be fine?" There was a gasp for air, the feeling of her lungs shrinking within her body.

"You've done this more than I have," he hissed out, almost bitterly.

(  _ seven, eight, nine. life is stripped away. _ )

"Right..."

In a last ditch effort, Emil's hand reached for hers.

(  _ ten, eleven, twelve. begin anew. _ )

"Good luck."

(  _ enter the void. _ )

The room grew eerily still.

The new year begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so! Here's main character number one- Nivi Suersaq, representative (or personification- i'll be using representative though) of Greenland. She is probably the one character I've worked on the longest and she's been through many different phases of designing. There's a rocky relationship between herself and Mathias, due to history being kind of shitty for her thanks to him, and she's pretty much best friends / really close to Emil. And, from those mentioned here, Akitsi is Nivi's agent. She'll be coming in at a later chapter.
> 
> I felt like it'd make the most sense for a nation to be the starting chapter, and tbh, I couldn't see it any other way.


	3. 12:00AM, 1/1/11 | a smooth recovery

Abrienne Martínez | Agent of S. Italy

 

Okay, anyone has to admit it.

Two hundred people collapsing at once on the final chime of midnight? _Freaky_. No amount of training could prepare her for such a peculiar event.

A good deal of agents flooded the ballroom before the clock struck twelve, making sure no one would gain a concussion from suddenly falling on the floor. There were plenty of chairs, couches, benches, so forth, but the concern held strong. Especially for the one _she_ had to look after. Still, she was nowhere near the scene, and instead, continued messaging Northern Italy's agent for details.

 

> **_Any sign of them waking?_ **
> 
> _None of them._
> 
> **_They have their packets?_ **
> 
> _Sure do._
> 
> **_Good. We'll be there soon. Parking's hell._ **
> 
> _Welcome to New York City._

 

Making a loud _tch_ sound, she slammed the phone on the dashboard with enough of a force to jolt the person next to her, earning one of the many scoldings she'd be receiving over the next twelve months. Not that she'd let up from being her sister.

"Abrienne! For the love of God, could you _not_ do that?" The woman didn't turn her head to face the rather bitter agent, though her eyes lit up almost immediately. "Oh, finally, a space! I told you we should have gotten here earlier." Such a motherly tone made her sick to her stomach, and the minute they parked, Abrienne was _out_ of there. It was a rather lengthy walk to the ballroom, after all. At least another fifteen minutes of a brisk pace through the city. Good thing she layered up beforehand.

She could hear the yells of her sister through the howling winds, though promptly ignored them. Instead, she focused on her breathing, making sure she didn't get too winded by the time they got there. Armando said something about it taking ten minutes before some of them woke up. After all, he paid more attention, since he _was_ about to be the caretaker of both Italian representatives.

Without a doubt, she didn't want to be here. She'd rather be back at home, settled back in San Diego, and preparing to return for the next semester of college. Instead, she had to transfer to New York University and finish up her degree (only possible due to taking on this agent job- NYU was horrible with trying to get scholarships). International legal studies. _Fitting._ Looks as though she already stumbled into the world she didn't understand without thinking about it.

Stubbornness probably was the main reason she didn't want to do this. Her sister, Arianna, was positioned into becoming Spain's caretaker since she was a kid. Never once did she think of a different route besides working with the nations during their most vulnerable time. As for Abrienne- well, she refused. Never cared about the consequences, didn't consider it as a requirement, none of it. Instead, she took on the academic side of the family, saving money, earning high marks in school, doing all she possibly could and make a name for herself as, well, a lawyer. Something she always wanted.

Yet, life had a rather cruel way of persuading her, starting with the agent for Southern Italy dying in a car crash. The first semester of college, and she had to get pulled away from it, caught between the duties of some _bloodline_ and her own desires for success. For the longest time, she refused, but with the looming year of 2011 oh so close, there was no other choice. She would have to fill the position, whether she wanted to or not.

( _she really didn't._ )

Only after meeting Lovino did her thoughts change, her reluctance starting to simmer down into a casual dislike of the situation. He seemed better than what she'd thought, not as high and mighty as she thought a nation representative would be. Plus, for the remaining year and a half until he gained mortality, they started getting along quite a bit more. They went on one date, the night they arrived in New York City. It was fun.

First time she could ever _say_ she had fun.

The real deal maker, though, were the college classes. Through the year, they would take similar courses, though Lovino would fall under a Philosophy major instead.

( _it was his idea, too._ )

And with the second semester beginning in a few days, it'd be the perfect time to reintroduce him to the public.

However, the urgency of reaching the meeting hall prevented her from thinking of _how_ to get things back to semi-normalcy once reaching the apartments for the night. It'll be another all-nighter for her, something she didn't enjoy doing, but- Oh. Oh _no._

Her phone started ringing. _Armando_. That wasn't good. She told him only to call if it was an emergency. Great.

She released the locked screen, bringing the phone to her ear, breathing raggedly from the increased pace against the chilling weather. "What's happening?"

It took a second before a voice came through the speaker, a mix between irritated and concerned. " _Where are you_ is a better question! They're starting to wake up, and it looks like things are about to get much worse. Hold on-" Armando's voice audibly got softer as he spoke away from the phone, though she could decipher some of the words he was saying. Italian. Feliciano? Lovino. _Oh, great._ With that amount of rushed words and panicked tones, she had a very little amount of time before it went south.

Whether it was pure luck or a decent running speed, the address typed in a message on her phone soon signaled that she made it. "Hold on, Armando, I'm here-" Short and quick breaths aside, she hung up, heading inside the building and walking directly into one of the guards working there. Right. Heightened security.

"Abrienne Martínez." she stated, yanking her identification for the night out from the hook on a lanyard to shove at the guard as they inspected it. After what seemed to take far longer than usual, she was allowed to pass through, no questions asked. The sights greeting her entrance were far worse than she expected.

Maybe half of the nations were waking up, panicking, and trying to run out at top speeds. The amnesia certainly did the trick, though- no one knew each other. As such, dipping through the crowd in her search worked far more efficiently than she would've thought. Still, finding the crowd- oh. Wait.

A small group of people were gathered around someone in the center, one that seemed _very_ irritated, a multitude of Italian phrases, some crude, most perplexed reaching the ears of those around him. Bingo.

"Oi, give the guy some space!" Raising her voice above the gathered people in front of her ( _she had to remember, they weren't nations anymore_ ), she shoved one out of the way, one of the fake doctors hired to make it all convincing. Not that it was. Not to her, but then again, what was? "You think it's fine to make others claustrophobic?" With a sharp tongue and staring down the others, all remaining were three- Armando, Lovino, and by some dumb luck, Antonio.

( _where the fuck was Anna. she had to take care of him, not Abri._ )

She could feel eyes on her, from all of them, though she paid more attention toward the other agent, looking up at him as he took a step toward her. "Glad to see you made it." he grumbled, though showed a rather small smile from behind a thin scarf. "Ditch your sister? She'll get pissed."

"None of your business-" Flinching at the sudden hand on her shoulder, she rose her index finger at the agent before glancing back, not really sure what she was expecting to begin with. Of course, Lovino, no one else. Unless it was Anna, but-

"Er. _Grazie_." From the panicked expression of not even a moment before, he calmed down considerably, though there was a slight quiver in his hand- which he immediately took off her shoulder once realizing it. "Do you know what's happening around here?" Though a little reluctant, his gaze laid on Armando as well. "Either of you? I mean, I have this profile-looking thing, gives my name and a couple of names of other contacts. But none of this makes sense." A sigh. "Nothing."

"Well-" Abrienne started, though Armando was the one to speak over her, a lighter tone than what she was used to. "Don't worry too hard on it right now. It's late, and this lady's taking you and your other puzzled friend home." He added some hand motions along with his words. "For the most part, you all were involved in some sort of prescription drug testing for something dealing with sleep. Looks like heavy amnesia was a side effect."

" _What?_ " Whatever relaxed mindset he had was no longer there. Lovino stepped around to face the man at eye level, teeth gritted and anger crossing his features. "Don't give me that bullshit. When are we gonna start remembering? Huh?"

While his apparent rage built, Abri stepped back, slightly pleased that Armando was getting the payback he deserved, though she started looking about for Antonio at this point. He was coming with them, but- oh. Shit.

Anna already got to him, a smile from ear to ear, and the two spoke in a rather calm fashion, most obviously in Spanish. After all, she was the most prepared of the two for this agent business. Fluent in most forms of the language, it made speaking to other Hispanic nations simple, while Abri remained clueless for the most part. Served her right for not agreeing to do this until two years ago.

( _Anna looked over at her. there was the look that said she was in dire trouble._ )

Well, this wasn't a good situation for her, though she did need to get someone out of here. "Armando, lay off. Don't get him riled up again." Rather demanding and snappish, she stepped forward and lightly pushed him, a small signal the two came up with to say _later_. He seemed to understand, looking between the two with a quick apology before heading off- most likely to fetch Feliciano and drag him home before they did. Probably wouldn't be great for the two to argue again so soon.

Though, this did irritate Lovino a bit, but if he had anything to say about it, he refused to do so. A quirk she picked up on, or, if that was a quirk to begin with. He didn't like arguing with girls unless absolutely necessary.

( _it wasn't, not right now, he thought. he could ask again in the morning._ )

"So. Erm." There was a small fidget, looking between her and the intense conversation Antonio and Anna were undergoing. "Your name, I don't think I caught it." Back to a calmer version, which was the one she preferred- and yet. She couldn't help but grin with a not very sweet intent.

"I never threw it." she stated with a shrug, and the blank look on his face was priceless. " _Kidding._ Sheesh. The name's Abrienne." Rubbing her hands together, still trying to get the rest of the cold out from them, she nodded over to the commotion that seemed to be settling down. "That's Arianna and Antonio. He took part in whatever happened here as well." He still had this perplexed expression written on his face, as if he didn't really understand or get any of this, but he was listening.

"We happened to be your calls for if something happened. The guy you bickered with was Armando, he's a friend of mine." Calling that loosely. There still left a deal of distrust between the two, but those were for other reasons. "Either way- we're getting you two home. 'Mando is taking care of Feliciano since we only have a four-seat car." At the very least, he seemed to be getting it now, catching up to speed while not really saying anything one way or another. He didn't ask about his brother, though, which.. may or may not be a good thing. Oh well.

"Oi, Anna! You two done gossiping?" Raising her voice once more, she caught the eye of her sister, who appeared less hostile than mere moments ago, and she'd be safe. For now. "Let's get going. It's a bit of a walk, but maybe we'll see some leftover fireworks." Pause. "I'll explain a bit more on the way."

Though- he wasn't listening. Lovino looked as though he zoned out, and by the time she noticed it, whatever it was ended up passing. The way he glanced over in Antonio's direction wasn't missed, appearing rather cross. Looks like it wasn't about to be a smooth ride.

"As long as I'm nowhere near that bastard, I'm fine with it." he finally grumbled, glancing over at Abri with a small smile. Her face grew pink, the heat most prominent on her cheeks, and she looked away, starting forward. At the very least, he wasn't adamant on staying in one place for very long.

"You know, we were waiting on you two," Anna huffed, though she did so in a rather cute fashion. "Toni said something about you separating the crowd like the Red Sea." Arching an eyebrow at her younger sister, she turned on her heel and started leading the group outside. Wow. That was pretty harsh. She eyed the light brunette and didn't start following until after a few yards were between them.

Lovino and Antonio started chatting- well, the latter did- and she didn't really catch anything they said, looking around at all the others starting to leave. Agents that were doing their job, huh. This year was about to get really tough.

"Abrienne?"

Jolting back to reality, she only now noticed Lovino kept up the pace beside her. Embarrassing. "Yeah?"

As if that were hilarious, he rolled his eyes and chuckled softly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You haven't forgotten to make sure I don't talk to him, did you?"

Oh. _Oh._ "Right- sorry." she mumbled, eyes down at the ground. "Distracted."

"Understandable." Once reaching the door, he held it open once the other two went through, trying to show off his potentially polite and well-mannered attitude. She noticed it. Didn't say much about it besides a brief 'thanks'.

( _he usually didn't act this way unless he was flirting with girls. she knew this._ )

The first thing to greet them was the cold wind, but the second were the fireworks in the midnight sky, yellows to green and red, so on. Gorgeous, vibrant, and rather loud- but it was sure to finish soon. It was about twenty to one, after all.

"Had a feeling they were still going on," she spoke up, giving Lovino a nudge with her shoulder. "Aren't they great?"

"Loud and a bit unsettling." he responded, looking as if he were zoning out once more, pausing his steps and stumbling.

( _the flashbacks. she was warned about those._ )

"Lovino, focus." Not thinking twice about it, she snatched his wrist, knowing one thing that does get them to return to reality: physical contact. Lo and behold, it worked, though he seemed more confused than anything else.

"Er, thanks." he mumbled, turning his head away and hiding the embarrassment. "So, I feel like I have plenty of questions."

"Go right ahead. We have all night." she shrugged, finally releasing her hold on his wrist.

( _what on earth was she thinking?_ )

"Be careful what you say," he taunted, smirking off to the side, still not looking back at her.

( _anna would kill her for these actions, but-_ )

"I can take a challenge."

( _she didn't want to follow the rules anymore._ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first of the agents, Abrienne Martínez, the relatively recent fill-in for South Italy. Unlike her sister, Arianna, she never wanted to get into the whole family business sort of thing, but she had to be forced into it about two years ago- a little after finishing her freshman year of college. A law student for the most part, she's the academic and book-smart sibling, while Anna's relatively street-smart. They're both from San Diego, California, and there are quite a lot of differences between the two.
> 
> Armando's the name of a friend's character, and he's North Italy's agent; however, the name's the only thing that really stayed the same. He would have taken over as S. Italy's agent, though he already had enough on his plate by helping out with watching Seborga as well. They have a small competitive relationship, and he's one of the few other agents she actually talks to.
> 
> And, of course, we have Lovino and Antonio, which y'all should know enough. I toned down on the cursing since no one really swears every other word, and yeah. Lovi's the crabby and flirty Italian, Antonio's the sun-shining optimism, and so forth.
> 
> This is the only other one I had prewritten, so now updates are gonna be,,, if college allows me to write in the dead of night. Next one's another nation point of view, and a canon at that! Wow! Tune in for the next chapter.


	4. 12:05AM, 1/1/11 | mishaps lead to mayhem

Cecile Lyon | Representative of Seychelles

 

This didn't feel right. None of it.

A weightlessness surrounded her body, a haze blocking parts of her mind, parts she  _ wanted back _ as soon as possible. Wherever she looked, darkness followed her, a muddled smoke mirroring her every move, and nothing showed the sun. The light, the brightness she craved- would do anything for- where was it? Where?

Where... was she?

Actually-  _ who _ was she?

Consciousness flooded back, senses resuming, starting with- " _ Il fait froid! _ " - touch.

While not much snow coated the sidewalks and streets, the frigid air was plenty to freeze the girl to her core. Even with layers on layers of sweaters and jackets, scarf and boots, she couldn't help shiver. And start feeling the twinge of pain in her ankle when she began moving. What's that all about? What was going on?

\-- Where was she? And why was she outside, rather than inside? Certainly,  _ inside _ the building would be warmer than out here. Plus, people may know what happened. It was a close enough vicinity- surely someone noticed her head out this way? And- wait, were those gunshots?

No! Hold on!  _ Fireworks _ ! She loved those! And- and- those flashes of color brought her attention to the envelope in the folds of her jacket! How could she miss that? Then again, with her thoughts all over the place, no wonder it didn't drag to the beige paper... thing. Taking off one of her gloves, biting against the cold snaps biting her fingers, she ran a nail across the protective tape, digging inside for what seemed to be a small file of papers. And the first-

" _ C'est- moi? _ " Well- a picture of herself might help in this whole can't-remember-anything phase. Perhaps this was all a prank. A joke. Someone spiking the punch at a party, maybe? Then again, she didn't  _ feel _ drunk- wait, should she know that feeling? Well, there wasn't time to ask questions, not when she started shuffling through the other papers, coming across- a specific file. The patient papers.  _ Finally _ .

Cecile Lyon, age seventeen, a dual citizenship between France and America, participated in a study for a variety of issues regarding sleep functions? Well, if she passed out right then, maybe she did have some sleeping issues. There seemed to be an identification card along with the papers, clipped to the corner. Two of them, actually: one for the State of New York, the other for a high school.

Well, that solved the question of  _ who _ and  _ where _ , but the nagging of  _ why _ bit at her throat- and so did the cold. Yikes. She really had to get out of here. Maybe there was something... ah! Jackpot! Some contact numbers, tiny blurbs of information, anything to get out of this cold and into a warm bed!

(  _ she was tired, again. maybe that drug did something. _ )

Though the gleam of the fireworks helped a bit, as well as the lighting from the street, she.. couldn't make anything out. A name here and there, but nothing else. Horrible. Taking in a deep breath, she stood up from the bench, biting her lip at the sudden pain in her ankle. Did she twist it or something? Whatever it was- she didn't like it. Pain with cold never equals happiness.

On the verge of limping, one arm clutching the files and the other free to open the door of the building, Cecile stumbled in, catching the eye of one guard. She watched him in fear and wariness, backing up against the walls and hardly noticing one of the lower-hung portraits fall, hitting the ground in a thump. She didn't know what to say- how to say it-

" _ O-officier? Je- je suis désolé- Je ne comprende la situation actuelle- _ " Oh, no, shoot! Did he even  _ know  _ French? It seemed so familiar, she didn't even  _ think _ about it! Stupid! So stupid--

"It's fine, kid."

" _ Quoi? _ " Lowering her arms from the defensive stature she didn't realize she was doing, she blinked up at him, tilting her head to the side. "C'est-- Non. No.  _ Sorry _ . So so sorry." English, Cecile. You know it! Use it! "I didn't mean to barge in- I needed a better lighting so I could, uh, read these papers." Raising them up a bit to show the guard, all he really looked at was the id card before shrugging.

"Miss, you can go on in. Seems plenty of the patients are in the same situation as you." the guard explained, signaling that she was free to go on ahead and- maybe, just maybe- find the people on her list.

" _ Merci, merci. _ " Her eyes lit up at this, scurrying into the ballroom as fast as her injured ankle would take her, and of course- there were plenty of lights. Taking a moment to stand to the side, her attention directed back to the contact information sheets, and starting from the top-

_ Lisle Lyon. Brother. _

Since when did she have- oh, who cares? She didn't remember what she had for dinner her entire life, so figuring out she had a sibling was the least of her worries.

_ He's in college with some pals of his. You'll see them around often. Call him if something goes wrong. _

Well, this whole night was wrong. Maybe she better call him- did she have a phone to begin with? Maybe. With so many layers of clothing, there was bound to be something she could use, especially if she just.. fished around.. aha! There, in the recesses of her outer jacket pockets. Something a little blocky, one of those slider phones with the keyboard. That should do it.

Now, to balance everything in her arms- oh. The papers fell.  _ Sigh _ . Clumsy as always, wasn't she?

(  _ not to mention, there were some eyes on her now- something she felt uncomfortable with. _ )

Picking up the files again, Cecile's head turned this way and that, checking if she had all of them in her hands, all out of order, but.. huh? She narrowed her eyes at another section, one she had yet to reach, and brightly noted the section with the name  _ Francis Bonnefoy _ . Blond hair, an adult- did she know him? How? He looked like someone she'd never run into unless it were on the streets by accident.

(  _ but he looked so familiar, like he protected her once. but- from what? _ )

The description didn't satisfy her inner turmoil, but rather- it made her wonder. This said something about a father-figure. Did she trust him that much? Still, she couldn't glance around and find him, tell him to take care of her. What if his file said something completely different about her? Besides- her living arrangements--

Oh. She never looked at that page.

Cue aggressively leafing through the papers until she found something- and it said there wasn't an official place for her, not yet. Lisle lived on campus, and there weren't any parents listed, but- there was a strange note.

_ Hey Ceci, don't get too stressed about living somewhere! There's a couple of people that'll take you in, you just gotta find them. They understand. _

No names, though. She  _ really _ thought this through, didn't she?

"Oh, God, this is horrible."

Time to go back to square one: calling Lisle.

Turning on her phone, she flipped through the contact numbers until she hit the 'L's, dialing his number and pressing it to her ear, eyes still searching for anything familiar to her. One ring, two, three-  _ click _ . "Hello?"

"Yes- hello!" A wave of relief came over her, softening the panic she didn't originally sense bubbling in her throat. "I'm sorry for bothering- but- is this Lisle? I can't remember anything, and I'm just- floundering about in a sea of people-"

"Okay, first of all- can you stop with the fish puns?" What? Scrunching her nose, she waited as the person on the line kept going. "Second, it's okay Cecile. I should've been there to take you home, but- New York's the worst. The place you're at is really far from the dorm." A sigh. "But, don't worry. I chatted with Ai, one of my roomies, and they got your situation settled. Just go find some people named Michi and Ah-hin, they've got some of your stuff in a guest room south of the city. Nice place, we've stayed there before."

None of this made sense. At all.

"Cecile?"

"Huh?" Truthfully, she blanked out on a lot of that explanation, but she did catch the names. Michi, Ah-hin. Both of those sounded.. not European. Asian? She didn't know. "Those two you said- how can I find them?"

"Oh- easy! They're not much taller than you, Michi's got long black hair, Ah-hin short. Plus, they're getting a few other guys. Pretty cool people." How the heck did he keep calm so easily? It made so little sense, but then again, this whole night made her head spin.

"Well, okay- if you're sure-"

She didn't get to finish her statement as the phone battery depleted, ending the call for her. Oh, no. That was bad.  _ Really _ bad.

"Shoot."

Now she had to find those two women, didn't she? With some other guys? Maybe they were picking them up, their normal contacts? None of this made her comforted, but by the tone of Lisle's voice, maybe she'd be fine. If they knew she had to go with them, she wouldn't be left behind- right?

(  _ memory-less in new york city? god forbid she try scaling it alone. _ )

Well, even if the pit in her stomach grew, shuffling through the panicking crowd with those assuring everything would be fine, her sights were set for people she didn't remember. Long hair, short hair, black hair. Not very tall. Okay, with all these brunettes and blonds running around, maybe this would be easier to navigate-

"Watch it!"

_ Oof _ . Someone ran right into her- or did she ram into them? Either way, she timidly stepped around and kept going. That person wasn't Michi or Ah-hin or one of those other guys. That was a blond guy. One she didn't seem to care about meeting again.

(  _ weird feelings tonight. really, really weird. _ )

A few minutes passed, more people kept shuffling in and out, though the results remained stagnant. No sign of who she was looking for. Maybe it was about time to see if this.. Francis.. person.. was around still-

"Cecile!"

A cheerful, high-pitched voice reached her ears, and she instantly turned around and saw a woman waving at her. Wait- long black hair- was this one of them? Either way, if someone recognized her, it was a start. Shuffling over quickly, wariness crossed her face, as if this wasn't real.

"Are you-" Without a chance to ask, the woman wrapped her arms around her, and it immediately startled the girl into breaking away.

"Your brother gave us a call, you startled him! Something about hanging up so suddenly-" As the woman started to ramble, another one walked up behind her, sighing about the antics most likely.

"Apologies, Michi tends to get carried away when retelling something." Though obviously younger, there was something about her expression that signaled a stronger mentality. "We'll be leaving soon. Yao and Yong Soo are attempting to figure out what's going on- as for Mei and Li, they're ready for sleep." Pause, along with a grimace. "So am I."

"You're always talking about sleeping, though!" Michi retorted, putting her hands on her hips and huffing. "We had to find her first, we promised Lisle  _ and _ Ai that we'd make sure she was safe."

(  _ was this where she was gonna be for the rest of her life? oh. _ )

"Um. Excuse me." Cecile decided now was a good time to speak up. "I.. kind of want to leave now. Things don't make much sense, my head hurts, so does my ankle now that I think about it, and- well- I'd like to sleep." Though it didn't look like they paid much attention, the one she thought was Ah-hin motioned her hand in the girl's direction, in a  _ see what I mean _ manner.

"I guess we could head out, just let me get Yao and all them." Not skipping a beat, Michi practically skipped off, which left the islander with the other woman. Ah-hin. Maybe it wasn't a good idea- though she didn't speak. No questions, which was helpful. Cecile couldn't answer anyway, not at this moment.

The awkwardness lasted a mere moment, and soon enough- four more people joined the group. Wow. A lot of people. Were there enough seats in the car, or-

"Now, half go with me, half with Ah-hin." As if noticing her woes, Michi seemed to have a plan, resting a finger on a few of the group, namely the three guys. "Yao, Li, Yong Soo, you're with me. Mei, you and Cecile are with Ah-hin." Her smile didn't really assure the girl that this was a great idea. "We'll all be heading to the same place anyway."

Well, if that were the case, maybe this wouldn't be too terrible. For a second, Cecile met eyes with the other girl- Mei- and smiled rather uneasily, showing her discomfort rather plainly. Yet, before the two could speak, the group was off again, Michi in the lead and Ah-hin in the back, nudging the girls to keep them in front of her.

(  _ was she watching them for some reason? so they don't run off? _ )

Soon enough, the entrance of the building came into view, and the chill of the city wind slammed right into her face, sending her into a bout of shivers, goosebumps lining her arms. Cold, cold, this wasn't right. None of it. None of it was familiar. This- this wasn't-

_ Home _ .

(  _ she looked up at the man beside her, eyes of sepia blinking as she understood his voice, the words, even though it's been a few weeks since he found her. said his name was Francis. said he was from a place known as Europe. said he missed having someone around- it was lonely here. here being the city of Paris. _

_ 'bienvenue,' that's what he said. welcome. welcome to a place she'd know as home for now on. no. no no no. she wanted to go home. _

_ i want to go home. _ )

Home. Wait- what in the world-

"Uh- Cecile? That's your name- right? Are you okay?"

A soft hand rested on her shoulder, and the concern of the other girl- Mei?- brought her to the present. Blinking a few times, Cecile nodded weakly, hardly noticing her surroundings changed. Sidewalk, street-side, and plenty of cars trying to rush through the dispersing New Year's crowd, and there was a group nearby- the others she met up with earlier. How much time passed? It felt like a few seconds, but if the scene changed that drastically..

"Oh- sorry!" Realization that she never said anything, and the start of a rather awkward laugh, she placed a free hand on top of Mei's. Assure that she was okay. Even if none of this made sense to her, fake it till you make it seemed to be the motto of the night. "I'm fine, no worries! And yes, it's Cecile. You're Mei- right?"

Whether it was the frost or a flustered expression, Mei's face grew a dark pink, taking back her hand and shoving it in one of her coat pockets. "Yes- that's me. You zoned out for a while." Back to business, it seemed. "Did you recall something?"

Huh? "Uh, maybe? I-" Now that she tried thinking back, she- couldn't remember what happened. Only a sense of familiarity connected to the wind. Or was it the cold- forget it. "Not really. Sorry." A frown, turned into gritting her teeth. Darn, speaking of the cold! "How long before we're safely in a car?" she grumbled, regarding Mei with a pleading expression. Please help. She didn't enjoy this temperature.

"Michi said something about a little bit of a walk, but.. that was about ten minutes ago, I think." Mei mirrored her expression, shuddering at a strong blast and unconsciously shuffling closer to Cecile, though not initiating physical contact. Huddle for warmth. That's what it was.

"I guess this isn't the best place to have a car," she sighed, to which the other nodded, both carefully watching the guys as they appeared much more energetic- well, one of them did. "Hey, uh, did.. any of your papers mention my name in them?"

By the quick dart of her eyes, Mei probably didn't.

"It's okay- my brother mentioned this was a last minute thing." He did say that, right? There was the weird idea that she wasn't staying with their parents, but.. as far as she recalled, there weren't any listed. She'd talk to him about that later- when her phone charged.

"Still a bit peculiar," Mei mumbled, but before she could continue, a pair of cars rolled up to the curb- one a SUV type, the other a compact- Michi and Ah-hin to each, respectively. "Oh, thank goodness. I hope the heaters work."

Maybe this girl was actually her, but from a different timeline. Nah. That was even crazier of an idea.

No goodbyes were exchanged between the girls and guys, each group shuffling into the cars and buckling up for the ride.

( _ cecile took the back, so did mei. front seat meant they had to pay attention, and neither were willing to do so. _ )

Neither of the girls remembered when they started dozing off, breathing in tune with the bumps and cracks in the streets. At one point, the soft snores woke Cecile back to the land of the living, and with what greeted her- she hardly expected a house. How long were they out? Probably a good while, grogginess biting at her, begging her to finally sleep and finish resting. The confusion could wait until morning.

"We're here," Ah-hin called back, leaning over the seat to look back at the two with a hint of a smirk. "Mind waking her?"

"Oh- uh-" Darn. Well, touch seemed to work before, so maybe tapping on Mei's shoulder a few times would-- 

"Huh?" Well, that worked.

"We're here," she repeated, then took a look around. Everything remained dark, though the small streetlights illuminated some sort of suburban area. Maybe it wouldn't be so horrible out here. "Wherever here is."

"Armonk," Getting out of the car, Ah-hin started toward the front door of the house, and- that meant the two needed to get out of there. Freezing in a metal box was about the same as sleeping in the car, after all.

Few words were exchanged afterward, Cecile and Mei observing everything quite closely as if something would come to them. Anything. Nothing did. Drat.

"Mei, your room's upstairs. Right side." More helpful pointers, a nod for acknowledgement, then Ah-hin's attention rested on Cecile. "There's a guest room by the kitchen- you have some of your clothes and belongings there already. You've been here a couple nights so far." So that helped a bit. Her arrangements on the papers were blank, but everything was already settled. Thank god.

"Thank you so much- good night, I guess?" That sounded a bit rude. "I'm- really tired-"

"Don't sweat it, kid." The grin ended up more reassuring than anything else that happened tonight. "I'm nodding off once Michi gets back from instructing the boys on not ruining the house."

In that case- "Thanks again, for everything." Extending the gratitude stopped short as a heavy yawn left her, not to mention, all these layers were getting irritating in the warmer house. " _ Bonne nuit _ ."

Following the basic instructions of where to go, starting to unzip the jacket and unraveling a scarf, the dawning of  _ maybe she didn't need all these to begin with _ popped into her mind. Though, the weather outside said otherwise.

Unlocked door, swung inside to reveal the room to her- and it was much better than she expected. Pretty big bed, comforter set, a closet- only thing it missed was a private bathroom, to which she didn't care much about. All she cared about was diving under the sheets and promptly drifting into slumber. Not bothering to change out of her day clothes, she dropped off the heavy outerwear at the foot of the bed, turned off the light, and made a break for the bed.

Once under the sheets, everything went black once more, a rhythm to her breathing dragging her to sleep.

(  _ the morning would hold answers. _ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the third- Cecile Lyon, representative of Seychelles! I've never liked the name Michelle for her (likely since it's close to my own and i'm iffy on doing those things) and Cecile sounded relatively accurate! Also, the French speech is generally translated in the context. 
> 
> Her agent's Lisle Lyon, and the whole brother-sister relation they planned was to make sense of why she'd need an agent to begin with. This also led into Cecile picking the surname Lyon- it would make more sense. There'll be more on their relations later on, and he'll be popping in more.
> 
> Michi and Ah-hin are two friends' characters, agents of China and S. Korea respectively. The other one mention- Ai- is Hong Kong's and Taiwan's agent (some had to be doubled up on, especially since there's so many ocs in this fic to begin with) and they'll be around often enough.
> 
> As for the rest of the E. Asian countries, they've got their fanon/canon names. 
> 
> Next chapter, we'll get back to Nivi, and for the most part, this'll be the rotation until other characters get introduced!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!! First and foremost I'm going to outright say the idea for this was a rp I was apart of on gaiaonline waaay back in 2011 and honestly like. It was a pretty cool idea. So, some things are a little similar, but a Lot are different as well (especially since that thread didn't go much farther than the first day of the year) and yeah! I'm really hyped about this! Really hyped and super trashy.
> 
> I'll be going through maybe five point of views- though which is canon and which is original is tricky to say since, well. I'm very strange in that I can't write canons that well? At the least, there'll be a nation, agent, and assassin point of view. We'll see what happens when we get there. And- while I totally get some people don't like oc/canon pairs- this fic's going to have a couple of them. Fair warning.


End file.
